Naruto: Red Maelstrom
by slysuccess
Summary: Naruto, born with his mother's looks and father's talent, he strives to become the strongest shinobi of his time. As he befriends Sasuke Uchiha, Fugaku sees the benefit of having a jinchuriki friendly with his clan, thus making their doom more imminent. The Uchiha clan massacre not only effects Sasuke but Naruto. Will he get sucked up into the Uchiha's hatred or find his own path.
1. Chapter 1

**Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto**

* * *

"Where am I?"

That simple question echoed through darkness. Naruto, after having a bad day, found himself in an unknown place. His feet were submerged by water and there was an eerie feeling in the air. It reminded him of a sewer. A strange red mist came from a large opening in the wall. It looked like a tunnel. Having decided he was standing still for too long, Naruto slowly walked into the only entrance there, following the red mist. The walk wasn't long as he came to a large area. In the middle of it was the entrance of a closed cage with a seal on it.

"**So, you have come." **said a deep ominous voice. Two large, red slited eyes opened and stared down at Naruto.

"Let me guess, you're the Kyuubi." said Naruto.

"**Well at least my container is not an idiot. I am the Kyuubi no Yoko.**

Naruto walked up to the cage.

"Where am I?"

"**Your mind scape."**

Naruto then found himself being pulled from the existence of his mindscape. After a few seconds of silence, he opened his eyes. Birds were singing songs of joy and, did he just hear a rooster? The sun was casting a golden shine through his window. Naruto found it annoying and beautiful at the same time, also informational, letting him know it was time to get up. He lazily sat up on his bed and looked around.

"That was one strange dream." he mused.

_**That was no dream but we will speak of this later."**_** said the Kyuubi.**

"Wait! Are you in my head!?" asked/yelled Naruto.

Randomness, Naruto hated it. Hearing no reply the boy got off his bed to get ready for the day.

After grooming himself and eating some breakfast, the boy looked in the bathroom mirror. His long, smooth red hair was tied in a ponytail while his bangs were just hanging at the sides of his slightly round face, stopping at his cheeks. He looked at the whisker marks on his face. He loved that feature of himself, thinking it made him unique. Maybe it was a clue to who his parents were.

Naruto left the bathroom and went outside. It was a cool morning. Most places of business weren't open yet and the streets were empty. That was a good thing in Naruto's book. Shops didn't like to sell to him and the few shops that did only accepted his business late at night when most were asleep.**  
**

When Naruto reached the academy he went straight to his home room. Some of the academy teachers game him looks of disgust but he paid them no mind.

Only one child was in the classroom, a boy. Naruto remembered seeing him yesterday. He wore a simple long-sleeved black shirt with a raised collar with the Uchiha crest on the back, and black shorts. His hair was styled in an unusual way. The hair on the back of his head was styled in a way that made it look like the behind of a duck, or the head of some parrots. Bangs framed his face and stopped just above his chin. He had a bored look on his face and was sitting in the 5th row next to the window.

The boy perked up when he heard Naruto's footsteps. He saw a red-headed boy his age walk into the classroom, and were those whisker marks? The red-head walked up to him.

"Hi, I'm Naruto." Said the now identified Naruto.

"Well I'm Sasuke. Are you in this class too?" asked the now identified Sasuke.

"Yeah, hey you look like someone I met before."

Naruto got into a thinking pose. He then tapped his fist to his palm.

"Aha! You look like that duck I saw at the pond!" said Naruto excitedly.

A tick mark appeared on Sasuke's forward.

"And you look like the tomato I had for breakfast." replied Sasuke

"I'm sorry, I don't speak duck."

"Tomato"

"Duck-butt"

"Tomato"

"Duck-butt"

Naruto and Sasuke just stared at each other in a stalemate.

Minutes passed and more and more students filed into the room. Most of them recognized Sasuke as the younger brother of Itachi Uchiha and tried to befriend him in hopes of climbing the social ladder, especially the girls. Their motives were halted as Naruto sat next to the only seat next to him. Soon, the teacher came in.He had brown hair in a ponytail with a scar across the bridge of his nose. He was wearing the standard Konoha chunin and jonin outfit.

"My name is Iruka Umino and welcome to the shinobi academy. I will be your instructor."

Naruto tuned out the boring introduction. He observed the other students. Sasuke was listening with enthusiasm. Most of them appeared to be ordinary villagers. He also recognized his friends Kiba, Choji, and Shikamaru, who all haled from respected clans. Of course Kiba was playing with his puppy Akamaru, Choji was munching on some potato chips, and Shikamaru was sleeping.

Naruto then felt disturbed. He felt like someone or something was watching him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the object of his discomfort. A navy blue haired girl was stealing a long peek at him. She had completely white eyes, a feature from the Hyuga clan. When Naruto completely looked in her direction she turned and looked away with a big blush. He just wrote her off as weird.

"Now everyone introduce your selves. We'll start off with you." said Iruka as he pointed to a boy on the first row.

Most of the students introduced themselves in a way expected from them. Some wanted to lead their respective clans and others thought being a shinobi was cool. It was going smoothly until Iruka's eyes landed on Naruto. He frowned.

"_It's him!"_

Rage spread throughout his body, but he didn't show it.

"_The Hokage actually let him into the academy!?"_

Iruka pointed at Naruto.

"Hey you with the red hair, why are you here?"

Naruto looked at the instructor and replied.

"To become a ninja, obviously."

"What's your name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki"

"_I'll keep my eye on him. He better not try anything."_

Naruto could see the hate in Iruka's eyes. He was just like the villagers. All of them hated him for no reason, well except for the Hokage and the ramen stand owner and his daughter. The children don't hate him though. Only when their parents make them.

As the last student gave their introduction, Iruka started with the lesson.

"Does anybody know what jutsu is?" he asked.

Sasuke raised his hand and Iruka gave a nod.

A good hour was spent on what jutsu was. After that Iruka took all the students outside to see their current skills in taijutsu.

"The first to spar will be Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki." said Iruka

Naruto and Sasuke got into the sparring circle drawn on the ground and went into their battle stances. The rest of the students watched and made their bets on who would win.

Iruka raised his arm.

"Ready? Begin!"

As soon as Iruka's arm went down, the boys rushed at each other.

* * *

**AN: As you know i have made some changes to the tradition Naruto. **

**Naruto looks like a male version of his mother.  
**

**Naruto and Sasuke's friendship will be an important aspect in this story.**

**I don't know about the pairing or if there will be one at all.**

**I'll update when I can so don't expect week after week.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto**

* * *

Naruto laid sprawled on the floor with Sasuke crouched over him, ready to strike. Iruka looked on with surprise. It was a quick spar.

"_Such skill at such a young age…. as expected from someone from the Uchiha clan._ The winner is Sasuke. Now make the reconciliation seal." said Iruka.

Most of the female students spoke of how cool Sasuke was and cheered at his victory.

Both boys made the seal and left the sparring circle to watch the next match.

"Wow you're really good ya know." said Naruto with respect in his voice.

"Thanks, my big brother taught me some taijutsu."

"Your brother must be good."

"Oh he is. He's picking me up after lessons. Maybe you could meet him then."

"Cool."

* * *

After all of the matches were completed, Iruka announced the end of the first day of academy training. All of the students saw their parents come to pick them up. All of the families left until Naruto and Sasuke were the only ones left. As Sasuke was thinking he had to walk home, he heard his name.

"Sasuke, come on let's go. Mother already made dinner."

A thirteen year old boy who looked like an older Sasuke stood before the two children.

"Itachi!" said Sasuke as he ran and hugged the taller boy. He then pointed to Naruto.

"I made my first friend at the academy today!"

Naruto just observed the scene before him.

Itachi looked over at Naruto.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Naruto"

Itachi smiled.

"_The Kyuubi jinchuriki. _Well Naruto it's nice to meet you."

Naruto grinned. He could see no hate in Itachi's eyes, something rare in this village.

"Hey can Naruto come home with us? I wanna show Mother and Father my new friend!" said Sasuke.

Itachi looked like he gave it a thought. "Alright"

Naruto followed the two brothers as they made their way to the Uchiha compound, all the while making conversation. It didn't take them long to reach the entrance. Two guards stood at an opening in a wall with the Uchiha clan symbol on both sides. The guards nodded at Itachi as they passed.

The trio soon reached the brothers' house. The boys took their sandals off and Itachi slid the door to the side.

"Mother, Father, I'm back with Sasuke." Itachi called out.

Sasuke and Naruto followed Itachi to the kitchen/dining area. Naruto took note of the people in the room. A woman with raven hair, wearing a purple blouse and yellow apron was putting plates on a dining table. Sitting at the table was a black haired man wearing a simple kimono adorned with the Uchiha clan symbol on the back and brown pants.

Without turning around the woman addressed her two sons.

"Dinner is ready. Sasuke how was your first day at the academy?"

"It was great! I made a new friend!"

The woman turned around to look at Sasuke.

"Oh really?" Her eyes widened as she laid her eyes on Naruto. Memories of her best friend went through her mind.

"Kushina!?" she asked.

"Huh?" replied Naruto with a confused look on his face.

This brought the attention of the man in the room, who wasn't paying attention until now.

"Mikoto are you alright?" he asked.

The now identified Mikoto walked up to Naruto, kneeled down in front of him and touched his face.

"_He looks so much like Kushina. _What is your name?" She asked

"_Wow, this woman is really weird. _Naruto." he said

"_That's the name Kushina was going to name her son! There is no denying this is her son. _Well Naruto would you like to have dinner with us?"

"Oh I don't want to intrude-"

"Nonsense."

Mikoto grasped Naruto's hand and guided him to the table.

"Now take a seat. Sasuke, Itachi, are you coming to eat?" she asked.

The two brothers joined the three at the table.

The next 30 minutes were spent eating and conversing. Sasuke talked about the academy. Itachi was silent most of the time. Fugaku, who Naruto learned was the Uchiha clan head and Itachi and Sasuke's father, bragged about Itachi's prodigious status to him. It went like this until Mikoto turned the conversation in a different direction.

"Naruto what is your last name?" she asked.

"Uzumaki." said Naruto.

"Have you heard of any other person with that name?"

"No."

"Do you have any parents?"

"No."

"When were you born?"

"October 10th"

You know Naruto, you look a lot like my friend, Kushina, who died the night the Kyuubi attacked. Her last name was Uzumaki. She is your mother."

Naruto's eyes widened. Having grown up without parents, the one thing he wanted to know was who his parents were and why they weren't raising him.

Mikoto pulled a photograph out of a pocket in her dress and handed it to Naruto. In it was a younger Mikoto who looked to be in her twenties. Next to her was a woman Naruto could clearly see was his mother. She had long smooth fiery red hair and violet eyes, traits he inherited from her. They were both smiling. His mother was beautiful.

"You can keep the picture." said Mikoto. Her tone and expression then took a serious turn.

"What I am about to say shall never leave this room. This is top secret information that can get you killed. Itachi, I assume you already know part of this. Sasuke, Naruto, Fugaku, do not tell a soul." she said. Naruto…. your father is Minato Namikaze.

"What!? How is this possible!?" said a shocked Fugaku.

"Let me finish." Mikoto said him.

"I've never heard of him." said Naruto.

"He was the Fourth Hokage."

"Really!? That's so cool! Wait till everybody finds out abou-"

"I said not to tell anyone. Your father had a lot of enemies and if they found out about you they would never hesitate to end your life. Do you understand your situation? _I'll tell him about the Kyuubi when he is older."_

Naruto nodded. "Wait, why do most people in the village hate me?"

"I can't explain that."

Naruto looked down in disappointment then looked outside. "It's late, I should get going._ It's bad to be outside at night." _He stood up and headed out of the house. "Goodnight, see you tomorrow Sasuke."

Naruto ran to his little apartment, headed inside and locked the door. He had just learned who his parents were and he needed some time to soak in this information, especially when your father was the most powerful shinobi in the village. He wanted to know more about them but now it was time sleep.

Naruto prepared himself for bed.

* * *

Meanwhile, after sending Sasuke to bed, Fugaku called for a clan meeting.

"Something interesting happened today." He addressed to his fellow clansmen. "My second son, Sasuke, has made friends with the Kyuubi boy."

One man spoke up. "Isn't the Kyuubi the reason the whole village distrusts us? I don't think an Uchiha should be around the boy." he said. The others seemed to agree.

"Yes that is true, but the boy holds ultimate power. According to him most of the village despises him. When he came to my home he was weary of us from the start. He doesn't trust easily. If we earn his trust the power he holds can tip the scale in power.

From now on everyone in this clan shall show the boy compassion. Make him feel like he is part of the clan. Make him loyal to us. Meeting adjourned." said Fugaku.

* * *

Over a period of months Naruto's life changed. Everyone in the Uchiha district was treating him like a human being. He could go into shops and buy goods without getting thrown out. Sometimes the owners would give him huge discounts or let him have what he wanted for free. When he walked the streets of the clan district the clan members would call his name with no malice behind it.

Everyone was being so friendly. It seemed abnormal to him. He didn't complain though. Several Uchiha shinobi even offered to teach him jutsu at some time. He'll never pass up that chance.

Naruto and Sasuke had just finished the semester in the Academy with Sasuke finishing with the highest grades in the school with Naruto right behind him. They now saw each other as rivals.

His friendship with Sasuke grew. So did his relationship with his family. Since Itachi was out on missions most of the time Naruto was the only other person Sasuke would be around. Naruto now looked up to Mikoto and Fugaku as surrogate parents, who both had talks about adopting him into the clan.

Itachi became his role model and older brother figure, as Fugaku often tell him to be like Itachi. Naruto found him a gentle person who loved his family, especially Sasuke. There was something about him that was off though.

He refused to attend clan meetings and would often disobey his father. He was also a suspect in the death of his best friend, Shisui Uchiha.

Both Sasuke and Naruto were confused about his abnormal behavior but didn't confront him about it.

* * *

"We're late! Mother will be so mad!" yelled Sasuke. He and Naruto were hurriedly running to the Uchiha compound at night. They had gone out to practice shurikenjutsu, but got caught up in time.

When they reached the clan entrance something didn't feel right.

"Why is it so silent? It looks looks like a ghost town." said Naruto.

"I don't know but something must be up." replied Sasuke. He looked up at the moon and saw a crouching silhouette on a wooden pole that suddenly vanished.

_Weird…. I thought someone was there." _he thought.

As the boys turned on to one of the streets, what they saw before them was a horrific sight. Dead bodies littered the street, their blood sprayed on the ground and walls. All bared the Uchiha symbol. Shocked expressions barred the boys' faces.

"What's going on!?" yelled Sasuke.

They raced to Sasuke's house and opened the door to his parent's room. There, laid Mikoto and Fugaku, dead in a small pool of blood. A silhouette stood behind them.

"Mother! Father!" yelled Sasuke.

The silhouette stepped into the moonlight. Itachi stood staring at the two boys, Sharingan activated.

"Itachi who did this!?" asked Sasuke.

"Foolish little brother." he replied.

Two shuriken whizzed past Naruto and Sasuke. They flinched as a small cut appeared on their shoulders a second later.

Itachi's Sharingan morphed into three black evenly spaced curves spiralling around the pupil.

"_Mangekyo Sharingan."_

Naruto and Sasuke's mind were flooded with images of Itachi killing every member in the clan compound over and over. After viewing said images they were left shaking, angry, and in tears.

"Why would you do this!?" asked Naruto.

"To test my capacity." he replied.

"That doesn't make any sense!" screamed Sasuke.

"Foolish little brother."

Knowing they were no match for the dojutsu wielder, Naruto and Sasuke ran out of the house, fearing for their lives. They ran throughout the body littered streets as fast as they could, but didn't get far.

The boys stopped as they saw Itachi in front of them, as if he was waiting for them. Sasuke spoke.

"Y-you can't be my brother…because"

"The brother you wanted to spend time with has done this...to ascertain your "capacity". said Itachi.

He was about to continue but sensed a foul energy.

"_This chakra… it can't be." _he thought.

He found the source of it in Naruto, who was undergoing changes at the moment. The nails on his fingers and toes lengthened and sharpened, forming claws. The whisker marks on his face widened and thickened. His irises went from violet to red and became slitted. His hair went from straight to spikey, bursting the band that held his ponytail. He got down on all fours and let out a roar.

"_I have to incapacitate him immediately." _thought Itachi.

"What's happening to him!?" yelled Sasuke."

Naruto was not finished with his transformation. His eyes morphed into a different pattern.

Itachi had a slightly shocked expression. "Those eyes…. so you are-"

Naruto let out a terrifying roar. As he looked into Itachi's eyes, his own began to feel heavy. His body went back to its original form, the traits he just acquired disappearing. The last thing he saw before falling into unconsciousness was Itachi's menacing Sharingan.


End file.
